The Council of the Four Seasons

Chapter 15 - Reflections

The cycle cannot be saved if she is gone. Without her, everything falls
to dust and the world is consumed with ash. The valleys will crumble as the
cold leaves them, the sea will rise, the fires rage.

The world will burn without Winter.

But perhaps it can survive without Summer.

The fire has consumed me and my sorrow has fed the flames. My pain has
sharpened the scouring sand and my lonely Howl stirred the summer gale. I will
fall to dust and be consumed by the ash.

And so I go to my Death, knowing my sacrifice was not in vain. That
perhaps my actions, terrible as they will be, will give the world another
chance, a little longer to Live.

May the Mother have mercy on me.

The troll put down the scroll, his fingers trembling so
badly they clacked against each other. The sound echoed dimly in the dark
library where Goren had found the new scripture of Branna: The Final Testament of Head Councilor Theonia, 115th host of
Branna the goddess of summer. The words on the scroll before him were
written in blood, in penmanship he himself had taught to the writer.

“Theonia…what have
you done?”

The ship bobbing in the harbor wasn’t large. It was a
standard schooner, three masts and two decks painted with the colors and seals
of the Southern Isles. But it boasted
far more cannons then Anna had ever seen in her life.

“How does that not sink them?”

Captain Wulfric smiled uneasily. “It’s all in the weight
distribution your Highness. Although how they managed to make all that fit on
the deck space is beyond me…”

The two of them crossed the Arendelle Navy docks, where a
launch was preparing to take Arendelle sailors to their ships and make contact
with the foreign vessel. Everyone stopped what they were doing as the Princess
passed and bowed low to her. But Anna
only had eyes for the ship cutting through Arendelle’s harbor. It moved slowly, like a great whale swimming
through an icy slurry, nothing like the quick, nimble movements Anna was used
to from watching her own navy practice. The Arendelle Navy was world famous for
its precision and durability but the Southern Isles was envied for its sheer
size and fire-power.

“How far of a range do you think those cannons have?” Anna
asked Wulfric.

“Further than I’d be comfortable admitting, your Highness.”
Was his uneasy reply. He’d kept a tight grip on his sword pommel the whole way
down here. Anna had insisted she go down to the docks with him and somehow, the
headstrong Princess had won that argument. Now the poor man was constantly on
edge, looking around as if the empty barrel at the end of the shore was going
to leap out and attack the Princess (it wasn’t, Anna knew for a fact that
Dagrun was in it, keeping an eye out).

“Princess Anna!” Both Anna and the Captain turned at the
voice and caught sight of a tall, lithe man walking quickly towards them from
the end of the dock.

“Admiral Westergard.” Anna greeted him as the head of
Arendelle’s navy snapped a crisp salute to her. Admiral Westergard had been in
charge of Arendelle’s defense since before even Elsa had been born. He had been
in the Navy since before Anna and Elsa’s father
had been born. He was a grizzled old man with a face pocked with scars and
weathered from salty winds. But his dedication and heart had never wavered.
After the Thaw, he had come to Elsa on his knees, begging her to dismiss him
for his failure to guard the royal family during Hans’ uprising. He had even
torn off his badges and thrown them at her feet in shame. But Elsa had refused
to accept that he had done anything wrong. She knew he had no reason to be
removed. The Admiral had remained in his position with all his honors intact.

Anna had always admired the man, there had even been a brief
period of her life when she had outright idolized him (of course, this was the
same period of her life when she’d tried to convince her parents to let her
join the navy).

The Admiral nodded to
her and clasped his hands behind his back. “We’re prepared to attack if you
give the order, your Highness.”

Anna let out an undignified sputter. “Attack? Who said
anything about attacking?”

“This is an unsolicited arrival, Princess.” The Admiral
replied. “Even if we weren’t at odds with the Isles right now, this would still
be considered a military threat.”

“We are not starting a war.” Anna reminded him.

“We may have to your Highness.” Captain Wulfric pointed out
to her. “If they attack us, we have no choice but to either defend or
surrender.”

“But they haven’t attacked us.” Anna said flatly. “There’s
no reason to assume they are hostile.”

“Queen Elsa left us a set of instructions of what to do in
the event of her not being present in Arendelle.” The Admiral explained. “They
say we are to protect the people at all costs and dispel any action that may
constitute a threat to Arendelle. This ship is most definitely one of them.”

Anna stiffened in surprise. “And I suppose she did this just
before she left a few days ago?” Even now, she could not keep a hint of spite
from her voice. Would her sister ever trust her?

But the Admiral was shaking his head. “No, Princess Anna.
She did this immediately after the Thaw. She was concerned that should she need
to leave once more, people may take advantage of her absence to strike at
Arendelle.”

Anna’s gaze dropped, ashamed of her momentary anger at her
sister. Of course. Elsa had always had Arendelle’s best interests at heart,
even before all this began. She would walk through fire to keep her kingdom
safe.

Anna felt the Admiral place a gentle, fatherly hand on her
shoulder. “She wanted to make sure you were safe.” He told her softly. Anna
pursed her lips, now fighting back tears. Oh
Elsa…

“Admiral, look!”

Both Anna and Admiral Westergard turned at Captain Wulfric’s
curt shout. He was pointing out across the fjord at the bobbing war-ship.

The Southern Isles ship was raising a flag. A flag painted
with a crude, blood-red Arendelle crest.

The Admiral squinted at the symbol. “What in the name of the
gods…?”

A shiver ran through Anna and she tensed. Something wasn’t
right. The docks around them had fallen silent, as if a blanket had been draped
over the entire scene.

Her senses sharpening, Anna turned.

Torches were being lit. All around the docks and down the
few streets she could see they flickered to life, spreading like a silent
plague. Several of the sailors on the docks and a few of the dockhands were
donning scarves around their mouths. Scarves marked with a blood-red symbol of
the Arendelle crest.

The one closest to Anna, a barrel-chested sailor with dull
gray hair glared at her, his dark eyes flashing. Before she could react, he
lunged forward, his arms outstretched.

The Admiral drew his sword suddenly, stepping protectively
in front of Anna.

“Captain!” He barked as he butted the man in the face with
the hilt of his sword. “Get her to safety at once!”

Without a word, Wulfric grabbed Anna and raced her back down
the docks.

“What are you doing?” Anna shouted, struggling against his
iron grip. Behind them, the Admiral was swinging his sword at the gathering
dissenters, keeping them back long enough that Wulfric and Anna could get away.
“Let go of me this instant!” Anna cried.

Wulfric just held her tighter and quickened his pace. “I’m
sorry Princess Anna, I cant do that.” He told her. Without warning, he scooped
her up in his arms and leapt from the ramp and onto the sand. He sprinted down
the beach, not even pausing to let her down.

“What?” Anna gasped, still completely lost.

“This is not a threat my lady,” The Captain told her grimly.
“it is a coup.” He ducked under a shore-side cellar overhang, into a secret
passageway that led all the way back up to Anna’s Informers study. As the door
slammed shut behind them, he kicked a lever off to the side and an enormous
wooden beam fell across the door, sealing the passage from the inside. In the
dimness of the sealed tunnel, he gently placed Anna back on her feet and nudged
her forward. “We must get you back to the palace immediately.”

Far above the scene, on the outcropping of a cliff on the
edge of the fjord, an unlikely pair watched Arendelle: one of them eagerly, the
other stoically.

“Seems as if you’ve had this entire thing planned for
awhile…” Theo commented. Hans glanced at his companion, trying to gauge her
reaction. She appeared to have none.

“Let’s just say I had a lot of time alone in the Southern
Isles to plan my revenge.” Hans leaned forward to better examine the ship,
shifting his still-cuffed hands uncomfortably. “But this is my brother
Christian’s doing.” He smirked “Does it bother you that I appear to have
ulterior motives?”

Theo glanced side-long at him. “I only care about achieving
my motives.” The summer host replied. “And based on what I am observing now, it
seems that your goal is similar to mine.”

Hans chuckled fondly. “You know,” he said, leaning back from
the cliff edge, “I wasn’t sure you were serious when you came to me with this
proposal.”

Still dressed as her dead Guardian, the summer host merely
flicked her eyes to her companion. “I am serious.” She answered him, her voice
a perfect complement to her words. “Otherwise you’d be under lock and key.
Embrace your freedom, for however long it lasts.”

Reproached, Hans fell silent, watching as a dinghy was
lowered from the ship and several small figures climbed into it to begin the
row towards shore. The dissenters at the docks were tying up the men who had
been holding them back, waving torches and starting to chant.

Theo was looking at the scene but she was not seeing it. She
was too caught up in the new world that had opened up inside her mind.

Her and Branna had shared thoughts and memories for years,
in their meditations they often walked together side by side. But this…this
experience easily trumped them all.

She raised a hand and gazed at it, seeing the scorching heat
leaking from her fingers as if it were the summer solstice again. Even in this
cold, her radiant body heat made it feel like summer for a small area around
her.

Her power was unprecedented. Where there had once been
nothing but pain and anguish, now there was the fury of fire, the scrape of
sand. She felt the motion of every particle, the flicker of each flame.
Branna’s mind was inseparable from hers, the ancient stories were her memories
now…if she looked deep enough she could see the true form of the Mother…of
Isen…their true home in the Mother’s Realm…

The epiphany was interrupted by her companion. “Having
second thoughts?” He taunted.

Theo turned to Hans, not rising to his words. Her temper had
been extinguished along with all her other emotions. “I don’t have that
luxury…” She replied. “this is the only way to restore balance. For you and for
me.”

Still smirking, Hans held out his hands and the summer
goddess melted the cuffs with a flick of her wrist. The prince rubbed his
wrists, flexing them experimentally.

“Don’t forget the condition.” He reminded her.

She fixed him with a hard gaze. “How could I? That was to be
my only request.”

The prince smiled, his eyes darkening with hatred. “Then let us begin…”

Theo swirled the cool air around them, warming it and
forming a large cushion for the two of them with little more than a twist of
her wrist. They stepped off the cliff and descended slowly to the water. Just
as their feet brushed the surface, another breeze caught them and propelled
them towards the shore, swinging wide of the ship and the crowded docks where
the dissenters were now organizing themselves. Unnoticed, the two hosts touched
down gently on the sand along Arendelle’s shore as the winds dispersed from
them.

Hans took a deep breath, the air around him rippling with
undercurrents of the Breath. “Oh how I have dreamed of this day…” He said
fondly. “I first met Anna just over there.” The prince remarked, gesturing at a
dock further down the shore.

Theo didn’t even follow his gaze. “Go on then.” She told
him. “Remember to send the signal when you are successful.”

Hans only sneered. “Don’t forget your signal.” He turned on
his heel, his cloak flowing ominously around him and darted across the sand
towards the city proper.

Theo watched him disappear, her confidence in this plan
wavering slightly. She’d known he was diabolical and obsessed with his revenge
on Elsa’s kingdom. She had no idea it went this far. It was almost like he had
planned for her to bring him back here just now.

But so long as he did what she had asked, there was no
reason to worry. His revenge would correct the imbalance. Then, as he was
distracted by his euphoria at completing his task she would rise behind him and
take back the life he had stolen…

Theo bit her lip, curbing that vision in her mind. Her
thoughts were more murderous now. Branna truly was a soldier no matter how much
she tried to pretend to be just a scribe.

She almost missed the absence of immediate ridicule inside
her head, instead there was only an irritated stirring of the particles under
her feet. Theo turned and headed for the harbor, the sand around her feet
drying under each step and cracking, a hot wind following her.

Arendelle’s bay inside the fjord curled almost entirely
around the capitol town, stopped only by a small finger of land that stretched
out onto the water. Upon this tiny parcel rested the castle and all the streets
and homes that made up the city. The beach was little more than a thin line of
sand, broken often by slabs of rock. It was all that separated the town from
the water. A few houses were even built right on the water, held aloft by thick
wooden stilts to keep them high and dry.

Theo was currently standing on an empty stretch of beach
that was relatively uninterrupted except for a few docks and bobbing boats.
Everything seemed washed out in the late-afternoon light. Or was that just how
she saw the world now: devoid of color, in shades of watered-down pastels?

The mountains loomed overhead, casting deep shadows over the
town except for the beach. The palace in the center of the city was large but
not obtrusive. Rather than loom over the town, it more seemed like a protective
shield, offering hope and solace.

Theo gazed up at the palace walls, remembering the last time
she had ascended them, carried by her tornado. She could see why Elsa was so
attached to this kingdom. This would have been a nice place to live, had her
life been different. Burning it down was going to be difficult.

Movement down the beach caught her attention and Theo
stiffened reflexively, a flame curling in her hand.

She wouldn’t have believed it if she wasn’t seeing it but it
was indeed a fully animated snowman. He was short and round, with mis-matched
sized sections: a large bottom, tiny feet and an oddly shaped head. It almost
looked like he had been assembled by a child.

Of course, Theo remembered. Elsa could somehow make living
snow-creatures, like the one at her ice palace. But how was this one surviving
outside the mountains?

Letting the flame burn out, she walked slowly towards the
thing, watching it waddle at the shoreline, picking up anything that intrigued
it with stick hands. As she drew closer, she saw the little cloud above its
head that was constantly snowing. An effective transportable life-force for a
cold being.

Summer shivered. Was there no limit to Elsa’s power?

The snowman looked up as she drew close. It beamed at her,
showing her large front teeth. “Hello!” It called cheerily.

Theo didn’t respond, unsure of how to deal with such a
creature, especially such a cheerful and inherently trustful one. Didn’t it
feel the waves of heat around her that would kill it if it got too close?

“My name is Olaf!” The snowman told her, dropping his shells
and spreading his stick arms wide. “I like warm hugs!”

Theo made no move to hug him. “Well I can assure you, mine
are the warmest.” She informed him.

The snowman, Olaf, giggled and ran forward with his arms
outstretched but she stepped aside to keep him away from her. He fell
face-first into the sand but resolutely wiggled his way back to his feet and
turned to face her again.

“Are you a friend of Elsa’s?” The creature asked, putting
his arms down but not looking any less cheerful about her unwillingness to hug
him. Now she recognized him: he was the thing that had been with Anna when
they’d been in the forest. She hadn’t gotten a good look back there, she’d
assumed he was only a dog or something.

“Are you one of her creations?” Theo returned. She did not
feel she could answer his question even to herself. After today, what would it
matter what she was to Elsa?

“I’m the first snowman Elsa and Anna made!” Olaf told her
proudly, gathering up his seashells again. “Anna’s upset so I’m bringing her
some shells to cheer her up!”

That statement stopped her heart. “They made you…together?”
A fearful whip of wind was circling at her feet, stirring at the sand.

Olaf laughed at the warm gust, protected by his personal
flurry. “Elsa brought me to life.” He told Theo. “But Anna was her
inspiration!”

Theo was shaking now, heat rolling off of her in waves.
“But…how?” She knew how. She just didn’t want it to be true.

“Because Elsa and Anna love each other!” The snowman told
her proudly. “And love is a powerful thing!”

Theo crouched next to him, staring intensely at the snowman.
“Indeed it is.” She agreed. “But I am willing to sacrifice my love for the good
of this world.” Her hand touched the animated snowman’s chest, right where his
heart should be. “Is Elsa?”

Before the snowman could draw his final breath, he fell into
a puddle, his warm personality lost in the obscurity of the thawed particles.
The water ran over the fallen shells, through the grains of sand and vanished
into the oblivion of blank space hiding in the matrix. His flurry vaporized
instantly, leaving behind only a tiny curl of steam.

A sharp pain drove through Theo’s skull like a knife. She
stumbled back, clutching her forehead as sensations assaulted her with all the
force of a summer gale. It was happening again.

Anna…is my world…

A bright smile…the
cool sensation of fingers at her cheek…a laugh warming her heart as she sat at
a campfire…

“How could I have done
that? They love each other so much Elsa’s powers created life. I’m going to have to shatter that love…rip
it apart like a demon…how can I make her suffer like that...!? What kind of
monster am I?”

Her heart thudded and burned painfully. Tears welled in her
eyes and every muscle in her body shook uncontrollably. The torrent of emotions
(for that was what they were) grew stronger and faster until she was abruptly
yanked from them. The sudden loss of sensation felt like an iron gate had been
slammed shut between her and her emotions, locking her away from the world.

But it made it stop. She was free again.

Theo took several deep breaths, the fire and sand slowly
replacing the void left by her emotions. She ran her hands slowly over her face
and hair as if she needed to be reminded where everything was. For just a
moment, she and Branna had separated again…she had felt again…just like when
she had broken from the bond and kissed Elsa on the temple rooftop.

Tiny agitated flames sprung to life on her hands and a tight
wind whipped worriedly around her. Branna had said the bonding would be
permanent, unbreakable. But not even her vast knowledge knew why this kept
happening to them.

Theo stood up and looked towards the great walls of the
castle, her face betraying nothing of the turmoil inside that the elements
around her exhibited. The sand under her feet was dry and hot once more,
without even a trace of the snowman except for a forlorn carrot nose.

She had taken her first life today. It would be far from the
last.

Anna argued vehemently the whole way back to the palace but
the Captain was resolute.

“You cant go back out there Princess.” Wulfric told her as
he pushed her out from behind the fireplace and dragged a bookcase over the
gap.

“The Queen is not here, Princess Anna and we need to keep
you safe. That means shutting the gates.” He shoved the bookcase with his
shoulder and somehow managed to move the heavy thing just far enough to cover
the gap.

The Princess folded her arms tightly. “And who’s going to
keep the people safe while I’m locked up in here?” She asked him, raising an
eyebrow in challenge.

He sighed heavily. “Princess Anna,” He pleaded, now pulling
several chairs in front of the fake fireplace as a rudimentary barricade, “we
are not going to abandon the people. But you are our main concern.”

Anna scoffed. “You hardly need to worry about me. You said
yourself I’m as talented with my sword as the best of your soldiers!”

He had indeed said that. After the Princess had resoundingly
defeated him during a sparring match, leaving him sprawled on his rump in front
of most of his men.

“This is a delicate situation, Princess.” He tried to
explain, standing before the Princess as she fearlessly stared him down. The
Captain took a deep breath, trying to figure out what to say to convince her
this was for the best. “From the looks of things, these people rebelling are
those afraid of the queen and her powers. They want her blood and they will do
anything to get it. Including allying with the Southern Isles.”

Clearly that had been the wrong thing to say. The Princess
looked ready to go on a hunt of her own. Princess Anna’s hands trembled. “This
is Prince Christian’s doing…where is he?” She tried to storm out of the room
but he put himself between her and the door with two long strides.

“We searched the Prince’s quarters Princess, but he’s
nowhere to be found. He must have slipped out when the ship arrived.”

The Princess’ face contorted in anger and she began pacing
agitatedly, looking just like her sister.

“Prince Christian must have been gathering followers here in
Arendelle,” Wulfric continued, “stirring up dissent over her Majesty’s powers…”

“All under the guise of a ‘trade agreement’…” Anna
interrupted, speaking more to herself than to him. She paused in her movements,
looking at him. “When I find him…I’m going to…!”

The Captain was quick to cut her off this time. “This has
been months in the making, we have no idea who is involved and who is against
you. Out on the street, you’re an open target. In here, you are at least
shielded.”

Anna drew herself up, proudly. “My people need to see that
I’m not afraid to…”

“Your people need a ruler alive at the end of this!” Wulfric
shouted at her. To his amazement, this was the tactic that worked.

Anna’s face fell. “You’ve given up on Elsa, haven’t you…”
She asked quietly, sounding for all the world like he had been the one to
betray her.

He had (he suspected most of the people had by this point),
but he wasn’t about to tell her that. “I am protecting the future, Princess
Anna.” He told her. “If your sister returns home and finds you dead because I
let you out on the streets right now, how do you think she would react?”

Anna didn’t answer, she folded her arms tightly around her
middle and refused to look at him. Wulfric knew he was making progress.

“The Queen has always demanded your safety above everyone
else’s.” He told Anna gently. “So you must remain here. It would kill her if
anything were to happen to you.”

Princess Anna nodded slowly, making up her mind. “Fine. I
will stay. But you will go.”

He shook his head. “I am not leaving your side, Princess.”
He said, taking up a firm stance in the center of the room.

Anna ignored him and pulled her sword belt from under the
desk, buckling it around her hips.

Captain Wulfric still had not moved. He was reluctant to leave the Princess on her
own despite her aptitude with a blade.

Anna glared at him when she saw he still had not moved.
“Return to your troops captain,” The Princess commanded. “they need your
leadership.”

“I am not leaving your side, Princess.” He repeated.

“You are needed out on the battlefield more than you are
needed here.” Anna told him. She stood
opposite him, her sword at her waist, her hands crossed resolutely at her
waist. “I can handle myself.”

As he looked at his Princess, the Captain couldn’t help but
waver in his decision to remain. Here was the little girl he had watched grow
up, the likable troublemaker who had always caused him to either smile or
groan. But now…all he saw was his superior, another soldier before him planning
a strategy. And he was only standing in her way. It was as if she had
transcended the barrier that had existed between them, changing from someone he
had been charged with protecting to become his equal. She didn’t need to be
baby-sat anymore. The little girl he had known had grown up to be a warrior.

“That is an order captain.” Anna told him firmly. “Defend
your kingdom!”

Chastened by his realization, the Captain bowed his head,
placing his fist over his heart. “As you wish, your Highness.” With a worried
glance, he turned and left the princess alone. He hurried down the corridor to
the stairs, shouting for his guard to assemble. As he ran down the stairs to
the main hall, he drew his sword again.

Don’t worry Queen
Elsa, Princess Anna…I’ll keep our kingdom safe.

As the captain left, Anna allowed her composure to break.
Her hands covered her face.

“Oh gods…oh no…what…what do I do now?”

She sank into the chair, not trusting her legs to hold her
up. “Oh gods…Elsa…Elsa why aren’t you here? Why aren’t you here to help me?”
Her entire body shook as she fully comprehended just how utterly alone she was. Kristoff was gone, Elsa
was gone and now even her Palace Guard Captain. Anna was used to loneliness,
her childhood had made sure of that. But Elsa had always been here. Distant,
but here. Now she was gone, off gods-knew-where refusing to let her help or
even know what she was doing.

Anna was finally, completely alone.

Well, maybe not entirely….

Her hands momentarily drifted across her belly, thinking of
the other life she had to protect as well. The life that depended on her. Just
as her people depended on her to lead them through this crisis. Until Elsa
returned, Anna was all that stood to protect them.

Taking a deep breath, she willed herself back to her feet.
Princess Anna stood tall and proud, sword at her hip. She was not going to let
Arendelle down.

As she turned to leave the room, something on the desk
caught her eye. She paused.

It was a toad lily from her mother’s garden, one that she
had plucked yesterday just before the storm had hit. It was still wide open,
its soft white petals curled gently back on themselves and spotted with specs
of the deepest royal purple. Anna remembered when her mother had first planted
these flowers in her garden. It had been
a year after Elsa had locked herself away, just when she had started to feel
alone in their enormous castle.

Tucking the flower into her hair, Anna left her office and
quickly climbed the stairs to her father’s study. It had the best windows for
overlooking the city. She had to know what was happening, what she could do. If
only she could make contact with some of the Informers…maybe they could help
the people somehow.

The sword on her hip jangled uncomfortably and her skirts
caught on the scabbard several times, prompting her to stop and unravel the
garment. She wished she had her practice breeches on but for now she’d have to
make do in a dress. There was no time to run all the way back to her room to
change.

Several agonizing minutes later, she reached the study and
yanked the door open. Two people she had not expected to see were inside
waiting for her.

“Dagrun! Ichtaca!” She had never been so happy to see the
boys before. She fell to her knees, her arms held open for a hug. The two
children embraced her briefly but quickly backed away.

“Sorry we didn’ come sooner!” Dagrun told her, his face
streaked with what looked like soot. “We ‘ad to use this passage since the
Captain sealed the one from th’ docks.”

Anna smiled. Clever boys. Every day she thanked the gods
that she had found them…or they had found her, whichever way you wanted to look
at it. “What is going on out there?” She asked, eager to be brought up to
speed.

“From what we’ve gathered, it seems that the rebels are
spread out across the city but many are gathering at the docks.” Ichtaca told
her in that level-headed manner of his that Anna had always appreciated. “They
call themselves the Arendelle Freedom Fighters and they look to Prince
Christian as their leader.”

Anna’s gaze darkened. “I knew it…” She spat. “How did we not
get word of this before?”

“The Prince ‘as been very careful covering his
communications with these people. They’ve all never met ‘fore today.” Dagrun
piped up. Ichatac nodded in agreement.

It took Anna several seconds to process what they had said.
“What? But…how?”

Ichtaca answered her. “Reba sent us a message.” He told
Anna. “She has a way with birds, ‘specially ravens, mum. She sent
instructions.”

Anna blinked, still lost. “From where?”

Dagrun shrugged. “No idea, but we got ‘um.”

“What did she say?”

“She says she’d been off gatherin’ intelligence these past
few days and organizin’ the kids for the possibility of this attack.” Dagrun
gave her a satisfied grin. “None of us even knew this was comin’ but Reba was
prepared for it! We’ve got Informers positioned all around the city, ready to
get the common folk out of cannon range should anythin’ happen. Nyle’s with ‘um,
keepin’ an eye on the ship. And I sent one o’ them birds off to find Reba.
Hopefully she’ll be back soon.”

Anna sat back on her heels, mulling everything over. “Let’s
hope so…” Her mind was whirling but thankfully, she was no longer in a panic.

How had Reba known the attack was coming? How did she know
where Elsa was? As minor as the questions were in the moment, Anna couldn’t
help but ponder them.

“Right…” She said, collecting her thoughts as the boys
watched her eagerly. “We need regular reports. And we have to find the Prince.
Dagrun, can you take care of that?”

The boy grinned like she’d just given him a mountain of
chocolate. “It would be my pleasure, Princess Anna!”

He sloppily saluted her and rushed for the exit,
disappearing down the tunnel without so much as a glance backward. His older
brother followed, nodding farewell at the princess. As she watched them leave,
Anna was suddenly seized with an intense fear. The fear of being alone, of
being lonely and afraid up here as Arendelle suffered. She couldn’t do this…not
alone anyway.

“Ichtaca…” The boy paused, glancing up at Anna in concern at
the waver in her voice. Anna swallowed. “please…would you stay with me? You can
relay reports and instructions from me if necessary…”

Anna smiled gratefully, once again blown away by the child’s
commitment and maturity. The young Informer came and stood next to his Princess
as she sat herself at the desk once more to wait out another storm.

Trying to calm herself, Anna removed the flower from her
hair and placed it on the desk beside her. Her mother’s flower seemed to catch
the afternoon light, despite its lack of vivid colors and glow with an eerie
light of its own. Anna drummed her fingers nervously and wished desperately
that there was more she could do now. She wrapped one hand absently around her
middle, as if to soothe the tiny baby within. Ichatac offered her a calm smile
but even his presence could not make her feel absolutely reassured.

Anna turned back to the window, watching as orange clouds
began to gather.

Elsa…Kristoff…please
hurry…

Breathing as quietly as he could, Prince Christian pressed
himself against the shadows cast by a tapestry as the Captain of the Palace
Guard hurried by, yelling for his guards to come. His improvised hiding spot
worked and after the shouts faded, he pulled himself from the shadows to
continue on his way.

Outside, he saw the tell-tale leaves twisting on the wind.
He shuddered for no particular reason. He knew this feeling.

So Hans was here. And he was painfully early at that.

His baby brother always had been too impatient.

Christian growled softly in annoyance. This was not good.
Everything could fall apart now. He hadn’t had enough time to gain Queen Elsa’s
trust or decipher the cryptic words Lord Wilfred had told him. How were they to
stop the monster now? And with the Queen gone again…the pieces were missing.

Christian shook his head. How did all their planning fall
apart so quickly?

He ducked into a servant’s stairwell as more guards
thundered past, heading the way he had just come. After a moment’s thought, he
descended the stairs, keeping as quiet as he could on the unyielding stone.

Hans had returned from Arendelle a different man all those
months ago. It hadn’t taken Christian too long to figure out that what had
happened in the kingdom had made his little brother more unstable than normal.
It didn’t help that their father and brothers had not been lenient at all with
their punishments. They had always been afraid of Hans. Afraid of what he could
do.

After Hans returned, a distinct chill had come to the Isles
and several fields of crops and forest had inexplicably shriveled and died.
Hans had been practically mad for days, enough so that he had convinced
Christian (against his better judgment) to listen to an insane revenge plan.

Christian had set out for Arendelle the next day on their
navy’s fastest ship. Since that time, he’d had only two sources of contact with
his youngest brother. The letters were practically burning a hole in his pocket
at this very moment. The one from his eldest brother telling them of the death
of their father and Hans’ desertion. And then the letter from Hans with the
final instructions for their ‘grand plan’. It was so little to rely on over
such a long time.

A cannon went off and he shook his head. That was the
signal. And he was still nowhere near the rendezvous point.

Oh little brother…when
will you listen to me?

He’d tried to talk his baby brother out of it way back when.
But he’d failed. And so here they were.

The staircase came out in a small yard off the palace
kitchens. There were high walls all around him and nowhere else to go. Great.
He gripped the hilt of his sword tightly and considered his options. He
couldn’t just wait it all out here. Someone would find him. He had to get out,
Hans had to know about the passage. The Prophecy.

Christian glanced to his left and nearly cried with relief.
Someone (and he had a pretty good idea who) had left a block of ice up against
the wall. It was slowly melting but the mass was just tall enough that he might
be able to jump and reach the top of the wall.

He could make it in time if he hurried.

Standing on the half-melted lump of ice, the Southern Isles
prince was able to pull himself over the wall and vanish without a trace into
the streets of Arendelle.

“Oh wow! It’s even more amazing than Theo said it was!”

Elsa couldn’t help but smile at the younger girl’s
enthusiasm towards her ice palace.

“Just wait until we get inside.” She told Scara as they
touched down at the foot of the ice staircase. Scara nodded impatiently,
practically leaping off the ice platform and into about a foot of snow. She
giggled and kicked her feet free, throwing the powder up in graceful arcs. Elsa
couldn’t help but smile. She’d grown very fond of the Spring host in the short
amount of time they’d spent together these past few months. Seeing her happy
and cheerful again was comforting.

The trip to the North Mountain had been fast and quiet this
time. Scara was unnaturally silent and try as she might, Elsa could not prod a
conversation to start between them. It
wasn’t until the Spring host had caught sight of Elsa’s creation rearing out of
the snow that she had perked up into her old self.

Taking the lead, Elsa started up the staircase towards her
creation, Scara trailing after her with light footsteps and a slightly warm
breeze projecting around her. She touched the icy railing but it did not change
under her caress.

The doors slid open effortlessly as their maker approached
and Elsa and the spring host stepped inside, their footsteps echoing
resoundingly off the perfect floors and smooth walls.

“Wow.”

Elsa had to agree with her sentiment. The interior was as
pristine as the last time she’d been here, her repairs holding up quite nicely
all things considered. The only difference was that the entire interior was
sparkling as the sunlight hit it. Frozen fractals fractured the sunbeams,
spewing colors across the ice and making the walls glow with a brilliance Elsa
had never seen before.

Was it egotistical to call her own creation beautiful?

Then she saw several grains of sand littering the floor and
had to swallow hard to keep her heart-rate down. Without Scara’s usual demeanor
distracting her on their way here, the flight had been a desperate attempt to not think about the kiss. About the way
Theo had pulled her close and so desperately tried to be even closer. About the
way their tongues and powers had clashed and filled the air with an energy that
defied the simplicity of words to define it. About the sensations that were
still rushing through her, even now. About the emotionless look in the summer
host’s eyes as she pulled away, almost like she hadn’t really been there at
all…

“There’s so much life here!”

Elsa jerked her head up at Scara’s exclamation, thrown off
by the statement. “What?”

Scara stood in the center of the hallway, twirling in an
impromptu dance, lights of all colors illuminating her form. “Can’t you feel
that?” She asked Elsa. “The ice itself is bursting with life!” She beamed at
her. “This ice has Isen’s touch.”

Before Elsa could ask what she meant, a bellow shook the
palace, making the frozen fountain tinkle as it vibrated.

The girls looked up as Elsa’s giant snow-guard appeared from
the back of the palace and ran towards them. The Snow Queen readied herself to
protect the Spring host, drawing the ice to her hands and preparing to unleash
it but she paused when she got a good look at the beast.

He was running but not charging and there was a huge goofy
grin on his face. Marshmallow skidded to an ungraceful stop before the girls
and without a hint of warning, scooped Scara up and hugged her close.

“Elsa…friend! Welcome!” He cried cheerfully.

For her part, Scara just laughed and embraced him back as if
they were old friends. The snowman tossed her up in the air and caught her
before setting her back on the ground.

Elsa, for her part, was speechless.

“I like him!” Scara declared, giving the snowman a little
pat on his leg. Marshmallow let out a little roar of happiness and sat down
like a dog so Scara could continue to pet him. “He has a piece of Isen too!”
Scara exclaimed, scratching at the base of the snowman’s tiara. “A spark of her life!” She turned eagerly to
Elsa. “Did you…make him?”

It took a little coaxing to get the words out of her mouth.
“Ummm…yes…” Elsa managed. “him and…one other.” She wondered how Olaf was doing.
And of course, thoughts of Olaf only led to thoughts of…

Elsa whirled around and was confronted by images of herself
in every direction. Her ice had become reflective again.

She swallowed hard. “What about them?” She asked, her voice
shaking.

Scara crossed to stand next to her, examining the room. “You
seem to have put them everywhere…” she said softly. “why?”

Elsa didn’t answer. How was she supposed to vocalize exactly
what she despised about them? The fact that, in reality, she still hated the
reflective quality ice acquired whenever her emotions were too strong? That the
mirrors still reminded her of what she was, of why she’d had to run away that
first time? Even during her meditations when the ice was calming, they reduced
her to a writhing mass of pain and confusion whenever they chose to appear.
They ensured she would never stop loathing her reflection when she’d thought
herself a monster. Never let the shame and pain fade so long as she could see
herself in her ice.

Scara examined the far wall with an intense curiosity.
“Maybe it’s Isen!” She suggested excitedly. “Maybe she’s trying to reach out to
you!”

“How so?” Elsa asked, lowering her head to avoid looking at
her reflection.

“There’s a legend about Isen,” Scara began, “that she was
born under the ocean but the very act of her birth froze the ocean solid,
keeping her trapped under in isolation, reflected in every surface of ice. She
had to be woken before she could emerge.” She ran a hand down the icy wall, the
ice briefly glowing a soft green where she touched it. “Maybe this is just like
that! Maybe this is Isen’s way of telling you about that legend.”

Elsa made a quick glance up but looked away quickly when the
reflections copied her. “But…how do I wake
her?”

Elsa folded her arms around herself, hugging her middle
tightly. “I don’t…like to look at them.” The words came out as barely more than
a pathetic whimper.

A gentle hand laid on her shoulder. “Try.” Scara encouraged
her with a soft smile.“See what you find when you look.”

Timidly, Elsa raised her head again, focusing on the slab of
ice in front of her. The image of her in the ice did the same, its face closed
off with fear and eyes sharp with scrutiny. They confronted each other for a
moment, simultaneously begging the other to look away, to find something…

And then Elsa realized. She was the only one reflected in
the ice. Even though Scara was standing right next to her and Marshmallow was
ambling around across the room, she was alone in the icy reflection.

For just a moment, it felt like she was in front of Isen’s
Mirror again, not standing in her creation. Everything else faded away until it
was just her and the reflection alone in the darkness, illuminated only by a
shaft of light from the tiny window behind her. No sound, no walls, nothing but
them. There was no singing from the ice. Everything was silent, holding its
breath, waiting.

Elsa stared at her reflection but it was almost like she
wasn’t looking into the image but rather looking out of it.

Her mind flashed to her meditation, to the feeling of something locked away inside the ice,
waiting patiently to emerge, mirroring her every move…

“Elsa!!”

She blinked and everything came crashing back into focus.
Her hand was stretching towards the ice walls of her palace, fingers a mere
inch from her reflected face. Scara was staring at her, eyes wide.

But it wasn’t Scara who had called her.

Elsa turned around, her heart thudding loudly. “…Reba?”

It was indeed the young Informer. She was wrapped up in
several layers of furs and boots a size too big for her. Her lips were cracked
and her face chapped from the wind. She looked as if she had been out here for
days although for what reason, Elsa could not possibly fathom.

“What are you doing out here?” Elsa asked, her mind
immediately conjuring the worst. “Where’s Anna? Is she alright?”

“I am looking for you.” The Informer replied in that
unsettling manner that she had. The calm, thoughtful way in which she spoke
made her seem twice as old as she looked. Despite having clearly been trekking
through the wilderness alone for several days, she stood tall and firm on her
own without a hint of fatigue.

Scara cocked her head at the girl. “Do you know her, Elsa?”

Elsa nodded slowly. “Yes, she…she’s a friend of my sister.”

The young girl stumbled a bit and Elsa hurried forward to
support her. She conjured a seat of ice for the child and stepped back, wishing
she could do more to make the frozen girl comfortable.

“What are you doing out here Reba?” Elsa asked, fretting
worriedly around the girl. “Is Anna okay?” She demanded to know again.

“As far as I know, yes she is.” The girl replied, looking
somewhat relieved to be off her feet. She dropped the bag she had been carrying
at the base of the ice seat. “But I have been away from the kingdom for several
days so that may no longer be true.” The Informer said flatly.

Scara spoke up from behind Elsa, where she was pressing the
tips of her fingers together gently and intently. “Did you come all the way up
here on your own?” She asked Reba quietly.

“I knew about where
Queen Elsa’s palace was from Anna’s stories.” Reba began, folding her hands
softly in her lap. She kept her back ramrod straight. “And I have much
experience tracking and travelling in the snow, my homeland had winters much
like Arendelle. We worshipped the Winter Goddess.”

Scara stiffened slightly but said nothing. Elsa was staring
at Reba. She didn’t think she’d ever heard the Informer talk this much in all
the time she’d known her.

“Where are you from?” The Queen asked the young Informer.

She half expected Reba not to answer, for her to grow quiet
and just peer at her with those omniscient green eyes. But to her surprise,
Reba offered her the smallest of smiles. “You wouldn’t know it, it is far from
here. But in that land…I was a nobleman’s daughter.”

Now that she mentioned it, Elsa recognized the signs: the
quiet, proper demeanor, the stiffness of her back and neck, her cultured way of
speaking. She came from a long line of royalty.

“I was five when my home nation was invaded by the empire of
Almania.” Reba explained. Her eyes glazed over but she kept speaking. “I
watched my people die, I watched soldiers take captives, including myself. War
is hell. No one should have to live through it.”

“When I was a slave in Almania,” She continued, her voice
remaining strong and unbroken. “I heard stories of the hosts. Monsters, people
called them. Devils of the seasons. But I didn’t think so. Every night I longed
for a spirit to awaken inside me, for power to overcome the chains that bound
me.” She shook her head with a sad smile. “I was never so blessed. So I found
my own way out, my own power and freedom. And when I heard about you, Elsa, I
knew you would need me one day.”

Reba stood, but only long enough to lower herself to her
knees and bow her head so low it touched the icy floor. “Great Winter Goddess…”
She muttered reverently. Elsa took a step back, too shocked to say anything.

After a few seconds, Reba raised herself and sat back on her
heels. “And that day is today.” She continued, her voice hardening. “Arendelle
is to be attacked.”

Panic raced through Elsa. “What?” She cried, advancing on
the girl. “How do you know?”

“Prince Christian of the Southern Isles and Lord Wilfred of
North Melonia.” The Informer said, standing up again. “I heard them in the
stables during Princess Anna’s wedding. The Prince is obsessed with this verse
that Lord Wilfred recited to him. He thinks it speaks of some hidden wealth
that he can acquire for the Isles. I knew they were plotting something so I
started doing some work of my own. I sent out a message to all my spies in the
city, put them up listening everywhere. And I found out that it wasn’t just him
and his soldiers. He’s been in contact with people all over Arendelle, people
who have lost the most in the Great Freeze. He even sent a message to Weselton
at one point, searching for mercenaries.”

Elsa’s head was swimming. She sank onto the vacated seat.
“Why didn’t you tell me any of this?” She asked hollowly.

“By the time I had all my evidence, you were gone.” Reba
said. “I wanted to go to Anna but she had left to follow you. So I took no
chances. I left coded instructions with some of the ravens I had befriended in
Arendelle and I came out here on my own. I knew that you’d come here
eventually, to your Winter Sanctuary. But I couldn’t be sure if it would be in
time or not.”

Elsa was struggling to process all of this. Had she just
said she’d left instructions with ravens?

“So it’s a coup…” She said slowly, fear rising within her.
The temperature in the room dropped dangerously lower. “Christian was planning
a coup this whole time…Hans must be in on it…planning to go back…” She froze as
realization dawned on her. “And Anna is…oh Gods, Anna!” She stood up and
starting pacing agitatedly, snow and a tight gust swirling around her. Anna was
alone facing this threat. Running their kingdom by herself as it faced a
looming coup. She wasn’t there…if anything happened, Anna could be…

“What was the verse?”

Elsa stopped short and turned around as Scara softly spoke
up. “What?”

Scara nodded to Reba. “The verse you said this Lord man told
the prince. Do you remember what it said?” She asked.

“Of course.” Reba cleared her throat and recited without a hint of
hesitation. “’In the land of ice, where the water meets the stones of old, the
night comes alive with lights and power. There, it begins. There, all their
dreams be found. A treasure greater than knowledge and wealth. Winter-Summer,
Life-Death. All are there, in perfect balance, not a one alone. The daughters
have come.’”

“That’s Ileana’s Prophecy.”

Elsa blinked and turned to Scara again. “What?”

Scara glanced at her left hand, watching a tiny clump of
pollen swirl around it. “Ileana made a prediction in her last year…a… promise
of sorts. She said it was a vision of the future for the Mother’s Children.
Erin recorded it and past hosts have meditated on what it means. Theo used to
recite it to me when I couldn’t sleep at night.” She closed her fist around the
pollen and several flowers sprouted, poking between her fingers. “That’s it…practically word for word.”

“No one is sure.” Scara replied, unaware of the younger
girl’s admiration of her. “The legends say that Ileana saw it as ‘a guiding
light in the darkness to come’. Branna’s
hosts have studied it for centuries but they never came to a conclusion about
it.”

“But what does it have to do with what Christian wants?”
Reba asked.

“He knows.” Elsa realized. The others turned to her. “He
knows about the hosts.” Elsa clarified. “He must have known about Hans’ power.
And when they heard about mine…that was all the proof he needed that there were
more of us. And now he wants us together for some reason…to unlock some
treasure…” The other two were silent, listening with horror. Elsa felt sick.
What did they want with her?

“’A treasure greater
than knowledge and wealth.’” She looked at Scara. “Are there any sacred
relics or something? Something that it takes all of us to retrieve or use?”

Scara shook her head, seeming confused. “No, I don’t think
so. We all have our Items but as far as we know, there’s nothing else. And only
we can use our Items. They’re useless to humans.”

“But what happens when we’re all together?” Elsa prompted
her, her voice rising.

“We maintain balance and uphold the cycle.” Scara replied.
“Nothing happens, that’s just how it
is. We come together to prevent
things from happening.”

Elsa ran a hand through her bangs, leaving frost crackling
across her hair. “This coup…has it…is it going on yet?” She asked the Informer.

Reba shook her head. “The ravens have not flown out here. So
I can only assume that no, it…”

She was cut off by a throaty screech.

A shaggy black bird swooped out of the sky and perched on
the balcony. When it saw Reba, it lifted its wings and flapped them hard, a
squawk that could only be described as alarm leaving its beak.

All three of them drew a collective breath, Elsa’s making
the air thick with frost.

“Now.” Reba said, her voice trembling. “The coup is
happening now…” She looked up at the Queen.

“Oh Merciful Mother…” Scara said, her voice taking on the
first hint of fear Elsa had ever heard from her. Scara turned to Elsa. “You’re
going back.” It wasn’t a question.

There was no question. She had to go back. Elsa knew she was
probably walking into a trap, playing right into the Southern Isles’ game. But
Arendelle…and Anna…

Reba picked up her discarded bag, slinging it over her
shoulder and held out her arm for the raven messenger. It hopped onto her arm
and climbed up to her shoulder. “We have to get to Arendelle…” She told the
others. “Now.”

Elsa paced agitatedly once more, ice swirling tightly around
her and the temperature dropping dangerously low. In the walls of her ice
palace, a million perfect reflections of her copied her every move, right down to
the snowflakes encircling her tightly.

Elsa hardly noticed them. They had to get back now…What was the fastest way to travel?

They had come to the docks. People from all over Arendelle:
woodsmen and farmers, a baker and a blacksmith, even a few sailors and
seamstresses. Overall, there were at least four dozen of them assembled. Plus
about three dozen Southern Isles soldiers. Scarves were tied over their mouths
and noses and they armed themselves with torches and ice picks.

All of them had one thing in common. They wanted Elsa gone.

Hans smiled as he approached them, not breaking his stride.
It was time. Time for him to finally have what he deserved.

With his flowing cape and sharp, thick heeled boots, he
parted the crowd like a true king. That or the aura of death that clung to him.

The whispers followed in his wake. “It’s him!” “It’s Prince Hans!” The people
watched him eagerly, recalling his excellent leadership during the Eternal
Winter. He was the leader they wanted, the leader they deserved. He stepped up
onto the pier to address them from above, a slight crisp autumn breeze
accompanying him.

“Welcome, my friends,” he began, smiling charmingly down at
them. “Welcome to this glorious day!”

They cheered and banged their weapons together. Hans smirked.
Today was about more than getting his revenge and completing Theo’s task. It
was about complete and total destruction. And these people were going to help
him achieve it.

Once, these people had merely been disgruntled by the freak
winter in the middle of summer. But Hans had built on that foundation, spread
whispers and fostered discontent through the work of his brother until their
anger and fear had grown and spread into complete hatred of Elsa and her
powers. Now they stood with him and his soldiers, ready to tear Arendelle apart
at the seams to unlock its secrets.

“Queen Elsa has kept us down long enough with your fear of
her powers.” Hans proclaimed, raising his fist. “It is time we take back
Arendelle from this monster!”

His troops cheered again.

“Are you ready to rise against the tyranny of the Ice Queen
of Arendelle?” Hans goaded them. They roared their inclination.

“We are Arendelle’s Freedom Fighters!” Hans shouted, his
chest burning with excitement. “And we will take back this kingdom from the
monster who rules it! No more shall her icy fear cling to our hearts!”

“Death to the Ice Queen! Death to the Ice Queen!” They all
cheered, milling excitedly together.

Hans drew in a deep, satisfied breath. They were all fired
up. His people would tear apart the city now. And with Theo helping to spread
the panic…it was perfect. He had to admit, for a last-minute addition to the
plan, the Summer host was proving most helpful.

His hatred swirled within him, whipped up by a current of
premature satisfaction.

Finally, Elsa will
lose everything. Just as I have.

“Little brother…!”

Hans froze at the familiar voice. Slowly he turned around.
During the commotion, someone had climbed onto the far end of dock.

A genuine smile lit up his face for the first time that day.
“Christian…”

It had been nearly five months since they had last seen each
other.

His brother looked winded, as if he had run all the way down
here. His hair was wispy, his breath was ragged and he clutched his sword hilt
tightly. But his eyes were shining with the compassion they only showed for
him.

Letting go of his
sword pommel, Christian ran forward, his arms outstretched in a crushing
bear-hug to greet his beloved baby brother.

In the rush of seeing him, Hans forgot himself, forgot his
purpose. Forgot his curse. It had never lashed out at Christian before,
Christian had always been the only one who had been safe from his power. He had
been the one to give Hans the gloves, to calm him down in the Autumn when the
voice in his head had tormented him, to bury the bodies of his casualties and
make excuses for him. Hans had never feared that his touch would harm the only
brother who actually loved him.

It was only brief, barely more than a fleeting brush of
skin. But it was enough. As they embraced tightly, Hans’ cheek ghosted along
the skin of his brother’s neck. By the time Hans recoiled in shock, feeling the
unforgiving snap of his power across his skin, his brother was already falling
limp against him.

The body fell to the dock with a thud, glassy eyes meeting
dull gray ones. The world seemed to stop. Sound muted, colors faded.

Prince Christian was dead.

Hans stared across the people below him without seeing them.
They were silent, at a loss for what they had just seen. He had gathered them
all here to fight a ‘monster’. A dry chuckle escaped his lips. He had forgotten
the one within him. Today, he had to kill it too.

Autumn’s Fury came forth as the Breath filled the air. Dead
leaves gathered around Hans as his eyes glowed a dull white.

“You did this…” Hans
seethed, feeling that presence inside his head scream in pain again. His fists
clenched painfully tight. “You took him
away…”

The leaves began to lift into an enormous twisting mass. The
air filled with the scent of decay and the heavy feeling of death.

WHY CANT YOU JUST
STOP!?

The Southern Isles Prince stepped off of his platform, the
winds carrying him softly to the ground. His eyes snapped downwards.

“Out of my way!” He commanded, waving his arm at those
assembled to listen to his speech.

But it was a useless order. All around him, his soldiers
were crumpling. They choked on his Breath as the diseases of the world
infiltrated their defenseless human lungs. Some died right away, others keeled
over, coughing or clawing at their skin as slower deaths awaited them. No one
was safe from his curse.

Hans stalked away from them quickly, leaving the fallen
corpse of his brother on the dock. Those glassy eyes seemed to bore into him
from behind, drilling twin holes in his soul.

Christian had died with a smile of joy on his face. Happiness at finally seeing his beloved
younger brother again.

And that tore Hans apart more than any spirit ever could.

This has to end. I
must have my revenge.

With a flap of his cloak, Hans practically glided away down
the streets of Arendelle.

The leaves spread behind him, the Breath slowly crawling
over everything in its path.

Theo made her way silently down the streets of the city she
was to doom to ash. In her borrowed clothes and with her short hair, she was
easily mistaken for a traveling man, alone and weary of the world. People
hustled by her, hardly sparing a glance. They were more concerned with the
Southern Isles ship that had arrived, the closing of the gates and the
whereabouts of their queen. One additional stranger was hardly worth a second
glance. Theo was bumped and jostled by the people she was to harm but she
hardly felt them as they milled around her. She supposed, if she had been
herself at this moment and not some kind of human-spirit hybrid, she would have
been astounded by the diversity and prosperity of Elsa’s kingdom. The people
seemed well and optimistic despite the unease surrounding them. They continued
on with their daily tasks, lifting and chopping and driving their animals to
market.

To have a normal life…

Bound as tightly to Branna as she was, it was impossible to
distinguish which of them had had that fleeting, wishful thought.

Theo paused at the doorway to the inn called the Snowflake
Tavern. A small fire was burning in a metal grate just outside the door. It was
meant for stable hands and weary travelers to warm themselves at if they only
wished to stop for a moment instead of for the night.

It would be the source of Arendelle’s destruction.

Theo stretched out her hand towards the flame, as if trying
to thaw her fingers. But her fingers were never cold. They had never known the
feel of true ice except for when they’d touched the Ice Queen.

I’m sorry Elsa…

The flames seemed to shrink lower and quiver in anticipation
as they felt the proximity of Branna’s power. Theo’s jaw clenched in derision
at its hungry desire to destroy. Fire was a weapon. Only when it was confined
and enslaved did it ever seem good.

Am I the same way?
Better in a cage? Where I can’t rampantly destroy?

Do I crave to burn as
well?

As she stood there, hand outstretched, the flames waiting in
smoldering anticipation, the normal people passing by and not sparing her so
much as a glance, the Summer host remembered. She remembered the first time she
had set something on fire and the hate that had been unleashed because of that.
She remembered the heat that had led her only adult friend to his death on an
icy lake and the crippling shame that still followed her from it. She
remembered the fire that had destroyed an entire forest and nearly killed her
Guardian and then the flames that had consumed him on his deathbed. She
remembered the internal fire she had smothered by bonding with Branna, the
flare of heat and passion she felt whenever she was close to Elsa.

Theo closed her eyes, concentrating deeply, trying to
remember how that last kiss had felt, desperately wanting to bring those
sensations to mind one last time before they ceased to matter. But it was
impossible. She had no emotions anymore, not even her memories of having
emotions could do it justice. There was only Branna’s heat and smoke.

Back in the forest, Elsa had said positive emotion worked
for her. Perhaps the opposite was true for the host of summer. Perhaps in the
heat of the flames, only hatred and pain could be found.

Theo flicked her
fingers upwards, feeling the power of heat that rippled through her expand to
reach that of the dancing flame before her.

In a flash, Arendelle began to burn.

Anna whirled as a flash of light lit up the window. Hand on
her sword, she raced to the glass and gazed out at her kingdom.

“What was that?” Ichtaca asked, jumping to his feet from
where he’d been curled on the floor next to the desk.

Anna didn’t answer him. A strange glow was coming from the
lower districts of the city. Almost as if several fires had all been lit in
quick succession.

“Fire…?” Even as she watched, the glow seemed to intensify,
almost as if it were steadily moving closer. Arendelle was burning. Quickly.

“Mam?” Ichtaca had come to stand next to her at the window.
He watched the city below them with confusion and a hint of fear.

Smoke was beginning to rise from the downtown district,
accompanied by small tornadoes of dead leaves whirling in the heating air.

Anna watched one twisting leaf, a strange feeling overcoming
her. It was a tingling dread, like knowing lightning was about to strike you,
like breathing in the heaviness of a deadly sickness in the air.

She reacted instantaneously. “Ichtaca, get back!” She barely
managed to grab the boy and haul him away from the window before it shattered.

Instinctively, Anna ducked down to cover the boy with her
own body, holding him close as little pellets of glass rained upon her
shoulders and back. After a few seconds, she sat up, one hand reaching for her
sword.

At her side, Ichtaca sat up, unhurt and barely phased by the
sudden explosion.“Are you alright mam?” He asked Anna.

But Anna didn’t answer him.

Because someone was standing at the broken window, glass
crunching under their feet as they slowly advanced on her.

“Hello…Anna.”

Captain Wulfric was in hell.

That was the only way he could possibly describe what was
going on right now.

He raced past the burning Snowflake Tavern, people being
hauled out as they choked on the thick black smoke pouring from within.
Somehow, the flames had leapt from building to building and the whole street
was now ablaze.

How had this happened?

He ducked as the building next to him flared up
unexpectedly, as if it had been doused in oil. Wulfric ran past, his hand on
his sword, squashing his panic down as best he could.

Arendelle had not been to war in nearly a century and for
most of the time he had been Captain, the gates had been closed. Trained and
competent though he was, he had no experience of war, of the utter desolation
and helplessness one feels when a familiar landscape becomes terrifying and
hazardous.

In the less than five minutes since he’d left the palace,
Arendelle had erupted into utter chaos.

Dissenters darted around the burning buildings in the
downtown market square, screaming for the death of the Ice Queen and waving ice
picks and torches. Ordinary citizens seemed torn and confused, not knowing
whether they should be running from the rebels or trying to get water to the
multiple fires consuming the town. Many were just huddled in safe spots,
clutching their children close and praying it would all end soon.

He was immensely thankful he’d closed the gates to protect
the princess. If these rebels got inside…

One of the men holding a torch spotted him and shouted
something that sounded like ‘palace dog’. Several rebels, all of them with red
scarves around their mouths charged him, screaming battle cries and waving
torches and ice picks.

In less time than it took to blink, the Captain’s sword was
in his hand. He fended off two blows from men with picks and made a wide sweep
with his blade, driving the half-dozen men back a few feet.

Snarling, a man with a flaming torch in hand leapt forward,
aiming for his head.

Dropping to one knee, he sliced the man’s torch cleanly in
half with a practiced cut of his blade. The lit end fell to the ground and
extinguished immediately. The rebel froze, dumbfounded and quickly found
himself on the ground, courtesy of a punch to the gut from the Captain of the
Palace Guard.

Wulfric smiled kindly down at the man sprawled in the snow.

“You want to reconsider your words, son?” He asked, spinning
his blade expertly in his hand.

The man scrambled backwards and fled down an alley. His
companions glanced at each other then quickly followed suit.

Wulfric nodded satisfactorily. Just as he’d thought. These
rebels were little more than angry citizens with a common goal. They were all
cowards with weapons, not trained fighters.

Looking around, he saw the fires had only spread further,
still at their alarmingly fast rate. Already two more buildings were up in
flames. He glanced up and down the street, trying to figure out why they were
burning so quickly. There were a lot of leaves floating around, far too many
for this late in the autumn. Perhaps they had helped carry the fire. The
Captain shook his head as a gust of wind flew past him, carrying several of
those leaves. A sudden wave of dizziness overcame him and he stumbled. The heat
must be getting to him. He coughed heavily.

“Captain!”

Wulfric glanced up and was relieved to see his men coming
towards him. Several of them looked very tired and more than a little terrified
but all of them were armed and ready to respond. His Lieutenant, a lad named
Harrison, saluted him quickly. “What are your orders?” The man asked.

“Get Divisions 1 and 3 mobilized to combat the fires!”
Wulfric barked, shaking off his fatigue as best he could to take command of his
men. “Division 2 is with me. The rest of you, spread out and protect the
citizens! Get as many as you can towards the docks and the beach! Protect
Arendelle!”

“Protect Arendelle!” His men cheered, pumping their swords
into the air. They split into their divisions, racing in every direction to
combat their foes, be it rebel or flame.

Wulfric coughed again as his battalion surrounded him. “With
me, men!” He cheered, holding his blade aloft. “Let’s chase those rebels back
to their holes!” The guard let out a unanimous grunt of approval and drew their
weapons. Division 2 fanned out and ran down the street in an arrowhead
formation, fending off anyone with a red scarf around their face. Some of the
rebels put up a fight, but most just turned tail and ran when they saw the
guards coming for them.

Wulfric decapitated another torch with a swing of his sword
and sent the rebel fleeing with a slap of his blade on the lad’s rear. With a
nod of approval, he turned away to check on his men. No injuries, although some
were coughing rather heavily and Harrison seemed to have broken out in a rash
of some kind. Heat blistering? The fires were getting hotter down this end…

A shout from the man he was watching jolted him back to the
task at hand. “Captain!” Harrison was pointing at something behind him. Wulfric
turned, following the lad’s indication.

At the other end of the street, through a slight bottleneck
in the buildings leading to an open city square was a figure in a thick dark
cloak. The entire square was ablaze, with bits of burning wood tumbling to the
ground and embers swirling everywhere. The figure stood completely still as the
citizens rushed around them in panic. He waited among the inferno as if he had
no fear of the flames.

“You there!” Wulfric called to them, running a few paces
closer. “Clear away!”

The cloaked figure turned and the Captain took a step back
in horror. Ruby red eyes, completely devoid of emotion. The cloak snapped
threateningly around their form, held aloft by the rising heat of the flames.
The embers of the surrounding flames spiraled around the man, circling his body
in concentric ellipses.

The strange man just looked at them with those dead,
emotionless eyes. He turned to face them completely, the hood slipping from his
head to reveal black hair cropped very close to his skull. “Just stay out of my
way…” He said softly. The man raised a hand as if to stop him from coming closer.

Wulfric hefted his sword, considering the threat. The man
was alone and wore no scarf. He didn’t seem to be a rebel. He seemed to have no
interest in the people rushing by, only in his task of watching the city
systematically burning to the ground.

He jogged several steps forward, passing through the
bottleneck between two burning buildings to reach the open area where the man
in black waited. The heat was intense here, he felt sweat drip down his face
and smoke sting his eyes.

“Please, come out of there.” Wulfric called to the man, who
had not moved so much as an eyelash. As
he approached, the flames all around them all flared up in unison, fingers of
flame clawing up into the sky. Wulfric stumbled back as intense heat licked at
his face and made the hairs on his arms stand up. Behind him, he heard the men
who had been following him cry out in surprise and fear.

“Stay away.” The cloaked figure said emotionlessly. They
raised both their hands. “Or I will kill you.” The flames around them, flickered in their blood-red eyes.

Wulfric was struck by a sudden realization.

They’re a woman.

Despite the short hair and the tunic and pants she wore, it
was undoubtedly a female who was threatening him. Now that he was close he
could see it in her face shape and the slightness of her form.

“I cant leave you here, mam!” He shouted above the roaring
flames.

Her eyes narrowed but no flicker of emotion passed through
them. “Pity.”

She made a grabbing motion at the flames of the buildings
and several licks of fire leapt from their bases, gathering in her palm and
swirling around her hands.

“What the…?”

The woman thrust her hand towards them and the flames jumped
eagerly towards them, nipping at their clothes and singeing their hair. Wulfric
leapt back, rolling along the cobblestones to extinguish his clothes. His
momentum carried him back to his feet, where he readied his sword.

“Sir!” He had come up next to Harrison, who was struggling
to his feet. “Sir! I think she’s controlling the flames!”

He was stunned. “What? But that’s…impossible…” But even as
he said it, he knew it wasn’t. After all, couldn’t their queen control the
winter?

The woman stared at the scattered men, the winds and flames
bending around her in a miniature cyclone. Her magic (if that’s what it indeed
was) bore an eerie resemblance to Elsa’s, only it expressed itself as a polar
opposite to that of the Queen.

Wulfric found himself desperately wishing that her Majesty
had not left again. But she wasn’t here. It was up to them to protect the
kingdom. The Captain of the Guard lifted his sword. “Surround and attack!”
Wulfric commanded his men. “Defend Arendelle from the fire-witch!”

His men responded with a roar and hastened to follow orders.
The woman didn’t move, just stood there with the flames circling her.

The men rushed her but a strong hot gale pushed out from her
in all directions, knocking seasoned soldiers off their feet easily. Captain
Wulfric slammed heavily into the doorway of a house, the ashen wood crumbling
under his weight. He fell in a boneless heap to the ground among charred beams
and ashes. He tried to stand, shaking his head to clear his vision but everything
was hazy. He rolled back into the street, forcing his feet under him, his hands
scrabbling for his sword. A shadow fell across him and he looked up.

Above him, the woman held a shaking fistful of flames.

“I am truly sorry…” The woman said in that same emotionless
voice. She twisted her wrist and the flames began to curl towards him, heat
licking at his face.

But before they could touch him, there was a huge gust of
icy wind that sent even the woman stumbling. The storm howled through the city,
snuffing out fires and sending the leaves tumbling wildly through the air. The
snow was blinding, drifts piling up in mere seconds until the cobblestone
streets looked like pure white marble.

Everyone looked up as a thick swirl of wind and snow touched
down in the middle of the square, spinning like a tornado and flinging out
harsh shards of ice that pricked at all exposed skin. The sharp wind whipped along the thin
corridor between the buildings, ice scouring wood and snow building up
everywhere.

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